Y Tu Mimi Tambien?

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Mimi Cheng's
179 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
www.mimichengs.com

We're nearly halfway through the summer and already your grand plans to learn how to surf, teach yourself Spanish in your free time and finally take up Crossfit have proven to be as ambitious and unattainable as that screenplay you wrote three pages of four years ago.

But if it's something new you're looking for, all you have to do is make your way to the East Village for a taste of Taiwan at Mimi Cheng's, a brand-new dumpling house that kicks it up a notch from the more divey dumpling joints populating Alphabet City and the Lower East Side.

Started by Hannah and Marian Cheng to both honor their mother and finally get her dumpling and sauce recipes, Mimi Cheng's offers three varieties of dumplings, all available boiled or pan-fried using sustainably raised chicken and pork from Fleisher's in Brooklyn and locally grown and organic veggies from nearby farms.

More: 13 Best Cheap Eats in the East Village

There's the Mimi Cheng, stuffed with pasture-raised chicken and zucchini; The Reinvented Classic, filled with pasture-raised pork, baby bok choy and cabbage; and The Mighty Veggie, loaded with organic kale, zucchini, free-range egg and shiitake mushrooms. All are served with Mimi's Secret Sauce which is worth the price of admission by itself (even if there were actually a price of admission).

For those with a sweet tooth, Mimi's also offers banana-packed dessert dumplings with powdered sugar, seasonal vegetables like Chinese broccoli sautéed with garlic, and house-made drinks like watermelon-cucumber juice.

More: E.S.P. Eat. See. Play. New York

To ensure that dumplings are enjoyed to their maximum potential, Mimi's doesn't deliver, but fortunately its white-washed, inviting storefront – complete with an open kitchen, chalkboard menu and owner-created artwork – makes for an ideal dining experience. Sure beats Crossfit…

By Jesse Husid